The man in charge suddenly went very pale when he saw Jon's blaster pistol and Thayla's two lightsabers aiming his way, as did most of his hangers-on.

The Blood Battalion Officer, however, stayed completely calm.

"Please, violence is not necessary."

Teller's golden blade ignited and was soon within inches of his nose. "How did you get on this station?"

Orin looked over. "Counselor, can you please?"

"Oh, of course." The man in the lead clapped his hands and four sleek, silver battle droids came charging into the room. They were bare and skeletal, like most droids made for combat, but also shiny and pristine, with gleaming oval-shaped heads.

A green ocular sensor, jewel-like in its appearance, sat on both the left and right sides of their heads, giving them a creepy and insectoid appearance, but that didn't make the blaster rifles in their hands any less deadly.

"Jedi, comply with Counselor Ruduznik's orders," came their mechanical declaration. "Otherwise, we will open fire."

Before either of his mentors could even weigh in, Teller switched off his lightsaber and put his hands in the air. The droids pointed their blasters at the ground.

The Counselor breathed a sigh of relief. "I had heard stories of the Jedi, mostly from my days dealing with the Empire."

"Most of them are probably true," said Orin, looking Teller directly in the eyes. "There was a reason they had to be put down."

Thayla made a move toward him, but surprisingly it was Jon who calmed her down for once. He put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a look that said a thousand words.

"I respectfully disagree." Thayla recovered quickly. "In fact, I will consider it a personal challenge to dissuade any and all negative rumors the Empire may have spread about us."

"And they're doing such a great job so far."

The Counselor laughed at Orin's dry sarcasm.

"The Jedi fought valiantly in the Clone Wars," Thayla stated.

"Up until they tried to kill the Chancellor of the Republic."

"That information is disputed."

"By the Jedi," Orin told her, while Jon and Teller gritted their teeth.

"The Mandalorian Wars would never have been won without our help."

"That was thousands of years ago, and even if it was relevant it wouldn't be a point in their favor. Caution may have been a more viable strategy. Provoking Mandalore the Ultimate and giving him the war he wanted escalated the conflict."

"Many on the Jedi Council also preached caution."

"Well, which is it? Did you lead the Republic to victory or preach caution?"

Thayla opened her mouth, but had no argument to give.

"You see? It's always petty politics with them." Orin placed a hand on the Counselor's shoulder. "You have made an appearance and greeted the guests, but I will remind you that you have several meetings this afternoon."

"Oh, I had almost forgotten."

"That's ok, my job is to keep things running smoothly." The officer slyly slipped a bundle of credits into the Counselor's shirt pocket. "Since you're short on time, go ahead and grab lunch over at that bistro on the west end, courtesy of the Blood Battalion. I'll wrap things up here and meet you there in an hour. Lunch always tastes better when you can write it off as a business expense."

"You're right about that." He playfully jabbed the officer with his elbow and gave him a wink. "I'll see you there. One hour, right?"

"It won't take any longer than that."

The droids left with Counselor Ruduznik and his entourage, disappearing behind a set of powered airlock doors, but the three Jedi looked around the hangar and saw Blood Battalion troopers beginning to casually make their way into the room.

They strolled in casually, not even bothering to aim their blasters, but when dozens of them were standing at every exit with rifles in hand, the message was clear.

"Orin," Thayla said, stepping forward. "You certainly are well-versed in Jedi history."

"I know enough. I am a big believer in knowing one's enemies," he said, his voice much colder than it had been before. "You got here sooner than expected."

"We had to change vehicles," Jon told him. "Your fighters kept trying to blow up my ship."

"In an official capacity, the Blood Battalion has no knowledge of any attacks made against you, Jedi. However, it is a very large and sprawling organization, with many moving parts. A few small rogue elements are an expected part of any armed force."

All three of them remained silent.

"I feel compelled to congratulate you, sincerely, on everything you have accomplished. Shilrakaen's Supreme Council is excited to meet you, which is the only reason you aren't shot full of holes right now."

"Sure, that's the only reason," Thayla whispered, in a quietly terrifying voice that Teller had never heard her use before.

"Quarters have been prepared for the three of you, however given the time crunch I'm afraid they will be significantly less comfortable than they would have been. I am so sorry for the inconvenience."

Jack Orin turned on his heel and started down the same hallway the Counselor had left through, with the three Jedi following close behind. The Blood Battalion troopers formed ranks on every side of them, and the three Jedi entered the streets as part of what looked like a full military procession.

Speeders and civilians had been cleared away. The buildings of Shilrakaen were white and perfectly polished, but the citizens inside looked down to see three people being led through the streets by armed guards, with the Blood Battalion officer standing proudly at the forefront.

The march was only a few blocks and ended at a surprisingly elegant complex, with pink marble columns and bleached durasteel walls carved in intricate patterns.

"I hope this will be to your liking." Their room was the penthouse suite, but though the walls and floors were expectedly expensive, there was no furniture other than a few pillows and some rollaway cots. "I've heard you Jedi prefer a more barren lifestyle."

"It is everything I could have imagined," Thayla said, with a smile on her face. "Thank you so much, Jack. Your faithful service to us is much appreciated."

If those last few words did get under his skin, he was careful not to let it show. "Of course, Master Jedi. I will inform you when the Supreme Council is ready to see you."

He shut the door and left them alone, though all of the Jedi were smart enough to know there had to be listening devices all over the room and probably cameras as well.

However, that didn't stop Jon from unwinding on one of the cots. "It's good to be able to stretch my legs."

"You seemed oddly calm back there," Thayla said to him. "Did you sense something?"

"I didn't need to." Jon sat up and his two cohorts gathered round. "They're scared of us."

"I know. The council must really want us here, if he passed on the opportunity for an ambush," Teller said.

"Yeah, but even before that. In all my years on Centrallis, I've only seen those brass officer-types show up planetside three times, maybe four, and those were all extreme examples. The Bloods wouldn't be changing tactics if they weren't scared."

"Well it's no reason to get complacent." Thayla pulled out a datapad and typed out a message on the display. "Let's plan out what we must tell them. Say nothing out loud. Orin is not tripping us up again."